23 November, 2009

There's been a lot of hype around Google's cutting edge operating system Chrome OS.

By reading blog-posts and articles around the web, and listening to what people talk about, I've come to the conclusion that most people that are talking about it, do not really understand what it actually is.

Google Chrome OS isn't really an operating system in this sense, it's more of an UI-layer that sits on top of another operating system core (namely: Linux.., or Ubuntu Linux to be exact).

Yes, Chrome OS is actually nothing more than a web-/browser-based graphical user interface, running on top of a modified and compressed Ubuntu Linux system.

Another fact about Chrome OS, is that it is a minimal system, designed for specific use. It is NOT a fully-fledged operating system with an accompanying software-suite. Rather, it is a GUI-system based on the Chromium-browser project that lets users be "always-logged-in" via various web-services (facebook, MSN, twitter, myspace, etc.) all in one, single UI.

A great concept for those who only use computers for surfing, mail and the like.

Personally, I demand a little more from my computer systems. Even my netbook.

Update 13:46

Did not surprise me that the Google Chromium OS team have obtained the help of Canonical Inc., the developer-group behind Ubuntu Linux (pioneered by Marc Shuttleworth).